Websites and ‘digital’ experiences in general are an integral part of our life, and this has led to a growing demand for the corresponding skills, particularly concerning an effective web design. Planning and developing a web site involve a number of interacting tasks intended to convey brand identity as efficiently as possible while offering excellent user experience. More specifically, these are graphic design, UI design, user experience design, coding, copywriting and graphic elements such as images. No wonder web design calls for many different roles.
Basic web design elements
Nevertheless, it is a well-known fact that when people talk about web design they usually—albeit simplistically—refer to the outer appearance of web sites, consisting of the arrangement and organization of all the graphic elements that make up the site, aesthetically as well as functionally.
Let us describe some of them:
– first of all the layout, of course: the way elements are laid out within the page must provide proper visual balance and help visitors find whatever information they may be looking for;
– colours, which must be in line with the client’s corporate identity while at the same time direct the visitors’ attention to the most important graphic elements;
– fonts, where ‘font’ properly refers to each combination of typeface, size and style; the choice of fonts will directly affect readability as well as set the character and expressiveness of the web site;
– the way text is arranged and laid out, including the space allotted to it and its length, are also very important elements, since they can influence how users will take in the message;
– finally, all graphic elements, such as pictures, symbols, logotypes, icons and the like, are also fundamental ingredients to create an effective web site.
Accordingly, designing a web site isn’t child’s play, as there are several aspects one has to tend to—right from the start—in order to streamline the process.
Major elements to be taken into account for an appealing yet efficient website design
1) Clients are to provide an exhaustive and detailed brief to speed up our work and above all to enable us to design a bespoke web site based on their specific needs which will also look exactly like they pictured . Expectations and actual results can turn out a complete mismatch if information is conveyed in piecemeal fashion or simply delayed; appropriate and timely directions on how the site is supposed to take shape is essential.
2) Combining text, images and animations enables you to create a unitary flow in your communication effort, as the presence of static elements only might be boring to the intended audience. This is often really paramount to help businesses achieve their goal, namely, a satisfactory experience for their visitors—and therefore an experience they may decide to repeat.
3) Bespoke graphic solutions are important if your site is to stand out, becoming easily recognizable and therefore unforgettable. Early on, web sites were designed ad hoc, so each of them was different, being
based on the client’s own requirements. Nowadays, a deplorable tendency to copycat can be noticed, despite the adverse effect on the supposed uniqueness of the products being advertised.
4) Easy usability leads to a positive interaction with your company, as users will be love being able to browse available resources, locate information and complete whatever task they had undertaken, without unnecessarily wasting their time.
5) Smart navigation is another crucial question: information must be organized and laid out in such a way as to enable visitors to locate and access what he requires. This is indeed what may make your website a winning website: for example, the proper and careful layout and positioning of main menus, footers and so forth.
In a nutshell
Conversion rates (the relationship between visits/clicks and conversions from potential to actual customers, e.g. by means of a purchase) will increase if people can easily understand the way your web site is arranged, if they can rapidly find what they are looking for, and if your site looks professionally designed and easy to navigate. The opposite can be expected to happen should the site be cumbersome and difficult to understand.
An appealing web design does not necessarily imply that the site will be effective in producing the desired result.
If you have come to the conclusion that your web site needs more that just a freshened-up appearance, and you feel the need for wide-ranging support, then you have found your trustworthy partner—ComLab.